Power
by BlackFyre94
Summary: Merlin discovers his true potential with disastrous results - Rated T to be on the safe side. Made the trusty friends cry. Hopefully you think the fic is better than the summary :L
1. Chapter 1

It was a time of celebration. All over Camelot, people were merry, singing and dancing as they welcomed in the new year. But, inside the great castle of King Uther that looked out over the entire kingdom a servant boy named Merlin was ill at ease…

"Cheer up Merlin". Prince Arthur clapped the smaller boy on the shoulder and thrust a goblet of wine into his hand. "The look on your face could turn milk sour".

"Sorry" Merlin muttered to Arthur's retreating back. As much as he wanted to join in the celebrations, he couldn't shake off the ever-increasing feeling that something or someone was watching, spying; and with malicious intent.

Gwen appeared from the crowd to stand at his side. "You look lovely" he said, and they both blushed, grateful towards the king for calling for silence to begin his customary speech. Merlin's thoughts were far away as he tried to identify the source of his growing unease. He felt oddly uncomfortable, tugging at the neck of his shirt. Why did no-one else notice the heat? It was uncanny, so warm on a midwinter's night. And then, all of a sudden, he was burning.

It was fire, blazing like ice from his veins, was midnight shining bright as day from his eyes, was music singing silently through every fibre of his being. It was true power.

He became vaguely aware through the haze of magic that the king had fallen silent mid-speech and the whole court had turned to stare at him. He wondered why but didn't really care, too occupied with testing his new-found powers. A gasp rose from the crowd as, with no more effort than breathing or blinking, Merlin rose gracefully from the stone floor and into the air. The hall was lit with brilliant light and golden patterns spun gently across the walls as every inch of him glowed with the magic coursing through him. And yet, despite the magnitude of the power running through him, despite the fact that he was invincible, he was almost on the verge of panic. He could sense his memories, emotions, thoughts, dreams, all slipping from his mind. He could feel his humanity, everything that made him who he was disappearing. The tiny part of him left inside his brain screamed silently as he realised what was happening but it was too late. He couldn't move, couldn't do anything but watch as the thing wearing his body like a cloak spoke and addressed the king.

"Well, well, well. Uther Pendragon. I must say, you've aged well. Command suits you.

There could be no doubt that Merlin wasn't Merlin any longer. The voice issuing from his mouth wasn't in fact, one voice but many, a jarring, discordant multitude woven into one. Merlin didn't know it but his body no longer looked the same; it was just a shining light, too bright to look at, hovering in the air. But Merlin saw the colour drain from Uther's face as he started at the sound.

"Nim" he breathed, ghostly pale as the rays of gold cast odd shadows across his face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, thanks for the reviews. Here's the next chapter, hope you like it :-), (I don't own the characters, etc, you've heard it all before)**

The light…flowed into the shape and form of a small girl, though still shining brightly, the timbre of the voice…changed, somehow, becoming more female, higher pitched, and with a girlish giggle that sounded strangely innocent, spoke again.

"Remember me? I always said I'd be back". Whatever little innocence the voice possessed vanished. "And now I have come to claim what is rightfully mine. I vowed you would pay for what you did, _King _Uther. The throne of Camelot should have been mine!"

Everyone turned to look at Uther, trying desperately to find out what was going on, to discern the cause of events by the king's response.

"The throne of Camelot was never to be yours, Nim" he said, calmly although it was evident he was still shocked at this vision from his past. "You were always destined to lose the war, to fail and be cast out, just like your sister".

Nim recoiled at Uther's mention of her sister. "I am here to finish what Nimueh could not" she hissed and, trapped inside his mental prison, Merlin was astonished to hear the two sorceresses were sisters. "Now, Uther". Nim raised an arm to point at Uther and announced dramatically "Prepare to stare into the face of your demise".

Every guard in the room drew their weapons and leapt to put themselves between the sorceress possessing Merlin. Nim spared them no more than a glance then flicked her fingers, hurling the men across the room, where they smashed into the walls and crumpled to the floor, lying sprawled at unnatural angles. She then turned her full attention to Uther, who had drawn his own sword, knowing full well it would do no good.

Golden sparks flickered playfully around Nim's fingers and she studied it, maliciously drawing out the long silence born of suspense and fear. Then, as swift as lightning, she struck, a stream of golden fire bursting forth from her fingertips to strike Uther square on the chest. He sank to his knees, mouth open in surprise then, slowly, fell to the floor.

"No!" yelled Arthur as Morgana screamed and ran to Uther's side. Arthur drew his own sword and, in one fluid movement, threw it across the hall, aiming directly for the iridescent figure's heart. Merlin was panic-struck – after all, the killings were not his doing but it was still his body – but the weapon seemed to strike an unseen shield in the air, a mere foot from where Nim stood, unharmed.

"My turn" she hissed and again, tiny sparks blinked into existence around her fingers. Jets of flame roared around her as she advanced on Arthur. And then she struck.

**Oo, what's going to happen next? Haha, review it and you might find out. Or am I being too mean there?**


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own the characters, etc, yadda yadda yadda. Review it, tell me what ya think please :)**

Merlin felt magic swallow him, felt raw power consume him as the instinct to protect Arthur overrode everything. He reacted instinctively, without conscious thought, throwing up a powerful shield between Arthur and the jets of golden flame that obscured him from view. When the flames died down and Arthur could be seen, Merlin breathed a mental sigh of relief. Arthur was unhurt, although looked a little shaken. Understandable. It was now obvious to all that there were _two _incredibly powerful magic-users in the room, two more than were welcome.

Nim recoiled when she saw Arthur standing there, unscathed. "Impossible" she breathed. Merlin knew she was afraid, he could see it in her mind, but also, that she didn't know it was him that had saved Arthur.

"How is this possible?" she shrieked. "Nobody can defeat me, I am all powerful!"

"Apparently not" replied Arthur. "Now leave, demon, before I am forced to obliterate you".

Merlin was impressed. Here was a force to be reckoned with: this boy had watched his father die in front of him, had narrowly escaped the same fate and yet still had the wit and cunning to turn an unforeseen miracle to his advantage.

Nim was trying to make a decision. As far as she knew, the one she had threatened to kill was a powerful sorcerer, even more powerful than she was. But she couldn't _not _kill him. So she would have to lure him away, trap him in a place where her own power was so much greater than his. Then she would kill him. Slowly.

"Tell me Arthur Pendragon" she said, her voice syrupy-sweet. "How attached are you to this servant of yours?" Without waiting for an answer, she spoke again, this time with sinister undertones to her voice that sent a shiver down the spine of everyone in the room. "Because, if you ever want to see him alive, I suggest you come and find him. Or he will die, in agony, cursing your name with his final, tortured, dying breath"

It wasn't a subtle threat. It didn't have to be. Both Nim and Arthur knew that the prince would risk his life to save the life of a lowly servant boy, and had done so, on several occasions.

A flash of lightning illuminated the hall, temporarily blinding everyone inside. When they could see again, Merlin's body and the sorceress possessing him were gone.

**Sorry it's such a short chapter** **but that's all I've got time for at the moment. Thanks for the reviews guys :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A few things…**

**1) Sorry it's been so long but here's the next bit :)**

**2) Word of warning: LAST EPISODE SPOILERS. I was like, OMG when I saw the last episode because it fit in so well with what I planned and I would have had to kill off a certain person otherwise (but enough about that)**

**3) Another word of warning: there's a tiny little bit of Merlin/Arthur coming up, in this chapter (and the next one) and I didn't plan it like that but what can I say? This thing writes itself.**

**4) This is a considerable chunk longer than the last three chapters**

**Enjoy**

Arthur strode from the room, Gaius trying to keep up.

"Sire, this is ridiculous" he gasped. "With your father dead, you are the King; you cannot simply go rushing off to confront this sorceress when she has made it her mission to kill you!"

Arthur turned suddenly and Gaius faltered, stopped in his tracks by the look smouldering in Arthur's eyes.

"And a poor king I would make if I am not willing to risk my life to save Merlin's!" Arthur was shouting now, his voice echoing through the corridors. "I cannot stand by and let him die"

Arthur swung himself up onto his horse. He had only paused to grab his sword and dagger, not bothering with armour. Armour wouldn't help where he was going.

"Arthur please, I'm begging you, don't do this". He stopped as Morgana gazed up at him, tears welling up in her eyes. "You will die if you go and…I couldn't bear that"

"Merlin will die if I do not" he said softly. Then, without another word, he was gone.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Merlin collapsed on the floor. He couldn't remember what had happened, couldn't understand why he was lying on the cold, frozen ground. And he could see a girl, a small child, with long fair hair like spun gold, eyes as blue as summer sky. And there were lights, golden spheres floating around her.

Merlin lay there, unmoving, crushed under the weight of the guilt, revulsion and horror pressing down on him as his memory slowly returned. He felt darkness, evil inside of him as he looked at the hands – his hands – that had killed so many, in cold blood. Tears flowed from his eyes as he died inside. He was no longer innocent; he was a murderer.

He gasped as pain twisted inside him, like a red-hot knife wrenching at his insides. Something wasn't right, there was something missing, like a part of him had died. He reached for his magic to defend himself against the sensation and felt the devastating burden of loss. His magic was gone.

He looked down at his hands again, looked closer and saw faint golden streams of light flickering weakly around his fingers. A thick gold ribbon of light was cast into the air above his heart and he followed it with his eyes until he saw the girl. With a jolt of horror he realised. She was stealing his magic, was draining him of his life.

"Nim" he said, his voice shaking. A small part of him was ridiculously happy despite the situation; he had his voice back and he propped himself up on his arms, to better see his enemy.

She smiled happily, clapping her hands together with joy.

"Aw, you remember me!" she giggled and for a second, Merlin felt he was swimming in unknown waters – for once, it wasn't him with the mental affliction. The image of the little blonde child that looked so innocent contrasted sharply with Merlin's memories, of the crimes she had committed, of the lives she had taken - with his very hands. And now she was killing him as well.

"But you don't know me". Her voice had lost the girlish timbre, had lost its sugar coating. "The only one who knew me, who loved me, who I loved, was my sister. And you killed her!" She shrieked out that last comment and sounded for a second like she would burst into tears. She took a few deep breaths and carried on. "That is why you are here. You murdered my sister, murdered her in cold blood".

"That's not true" Merlin interrupted Nim before she could accuse him of any more. "Nimueh is the murderer; she almost killed my mother and my friend. I had to stop her"

Nim glared at him and he screamed as pain lanced through him, searing every inch of him. It was gone in a second but the memory of the pain remained.

"Quiet" she commanded. "Or I will cut out your tongue". Merlin had no doubts that she would follow through with her threat.

"Before your world was formed, we were ancient beyond measure. We were born in the hearts of stars and such was our power – even at birth – that we were untouched by the flame. We travelled the galaxies for aeons of time and there were so many of us at first. But then we found your world and it was the sweetest curse, was the most evil of blessings. We became human, just to see the beauty of your planet through eyes like yours, to experience real life for the first time. And that was what defeated us, in the end. Our magic, our power, deserted us. It spread across your planet like wildfire. And you stole it! You thieving humans ripped away a part of us! Your race was never magical, was never born with magic and yet you tortured it, used it for your own ends. It drove my people insane. Without our magic, we were trapped here, trapped like rats. And we felt fear, for the first time ever. Many of my race died then, mostly killing themselves for they couldn't bear to stay in a life without magic. But there were two of us that were strong"

Merlin guessed the name of the second of the two but kept silent. He much preferred his tongue inside his head.

"Nimueh and I were the most powerful of all of us and we kept hold of an infinitesimal sliver of our magic, barely enough to perform even the simplest spells. But we waited, for long years, hunting down those that had stolen our magic and we reclaimed it, bit by bit". Nim paused and looked at Merlin. "People like you".

Merlin was shocked to find tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. He couldn't imagine what it would be like, to lose someone that had been so close to you for millions of years. But her knew, had he been able to undo what he had done, he would still have destroyed Nimueh. Because he loved his mother, and loved Gaius as a father. And…he had to admit it to himself, had to acknowledge the truth – he loved Arthur.

"Nim, I'm so sorry-" he began but she held up a hand to silence him and he tensed, expecting to feel more pain blazing through him. Nim, however, seemed preoccupied with something hidden amongst the trees.

All of a sudden, her girlish smile appeared back on her face like the sun coming out from behind a cloud. Without warning, she raised her hands, golden fire shooting from her fingers again and she laughed with delight.

**Oo, the suspense. Review it and you might find out what happens next, especially as the next chapter is THE LAST CHAPTER! *gasp***


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi guys. Um, I know I said that this was the last chapter but it would have been pretty damn long so I figured I'd split it up a bit. Well, here it is…**

Merlin's heart sank right down to his boots as he saw Arthur emerge from the trees, crouched with his sword at the ready. Merlin had been hoping against hope that Arthur wouldn't fall for Nim's tricks, that he would have had enough sense to leave him. Yet part of him was insanely, ridiculously happy. Arthur was here. And everything was alright again. Merlin's happy thoughts withered and died as Arthur began to flicker, outlined against the trees with a corona of golden light. And then gently, gently, he rose into the air. His sword fell to the ground and Merlin could see the cords standing out in his neck as his eyes glazed with pain. Nim's brow was furrowed in concentration and the gold spheres of light hovering around her head pulsed and glowed in strange, unfathomable rhythms. Merlin could sense it in the air, the silent battle between the two. By the looks of things, Nim had expected Arthur to subdue to her mental power quickly and was thrown off guard by the scale of his resistance. All of a sudden, she laughed again, that tiny little giggle that Merlin was coming to associate with big, big trouble.

She flicked her hand and Arthur was thrown through the air, until his flight was brought to an abrupt halt by a large, ancient oak tree. Even from his place across the clearing, Merlin winced as he heard the bone in Arthur's arm snap like a dry twig. Arthur fell to the floor and lay still, and for one, heart-stoppingly terrifying moment, Merlin thought he was dead. It was all he could do not to leap up and throttle Nim, regardless of the child's face she wore.

But then Arthur stirred, moaning in pain and Merlin could see blood spreading slowly across his arm, where the shards of bone had poked through the skin.

"You're just in time to join the party" Nim laughed, and Merlin could hear the faintest touches of hysteria in her voice. She was losing her sanity; her mind was coming apart at the seams. He supposed it was his fault, for killing Nimueh, for killing her sister, but any remorse or pity he felt had vanished completely. She had hurt Arthur, and she would pay, with blood, and terror. At least, that was the plan. He hadn't quite worked out all the finer details yet. Scratch that. He hadn't the faintest clue how he was going to rid the world of this fiend, but of one thing he was certain. It would be a better world when she was gone.

"Anyway, back to the story" Nim continued. "My sister and I travelled the land, seeking out those who had stolen our magic, hunting them down and reclaiming our lost power. And this was our life. Eventually we accumulated enough of our magic to be the two, most powerful sorceresses your world had ever known"

At her words, Merlin felt a stirring inside him, a yearning to be free, to accept what he was. In his mind, he could see himself, a great warlock, soaring through the heavens like an arrow, creating and destroying as he chose. And no-one could stand against him, for he was power, and he was might, and the lives of humans were nothing to him. They went through their short lives almost blind and almost deaf, unaware of the beauty of the world around them, but he understood, for the magic guided him, opened his eyes, showed him the way, showed him the path to glory, and greatness.

Merlin cried out in anguish as the vision, the dream vanished and he was back in the forest.

"All that could be yours, Merlin" Nim whispered to him. "They were the Golden Days, before Uther, before Camelot, before our kind were persecuted for what we are. We are kin, Merlin. You alone out of all humans were born with magic of your own, I sensed that when I took it from you, and now we have no-one but each other. We can be great, together. You just have to do one thing for me, Merlin".

Merlin knew he would have agreed to anything, so enraptured was he by the call of power.

"You must kill Arthur Pendragon for me, Merlin. Camelot cannot be allowed to exist any longer. I did my bit. I killed Uther Pendragon. And now you must kill his son. Can you do that Merlin?"

Merlin nodded and rose gracefully to his feet. The gaping hole left by the absence of his magic vanished, and he felt whole again. Nim handed him an ornate dagger, the hilt encrusted with jewels and he walked over to where Arthur lay, sprawled on the ground.

"Goodbye" he said, and his voice and face were emotionless, blank as he looked down at the one he loved.

**Oh, the suspense is killing me. Review it please :P**


	6. Chapter 6

**Well, here it is. The final chapter, as promised. **

Arthur watched his death approaching, walking slowly towards him. And he was afraid. He had never given much thought to how he would die, but he imagined that he would go down fighting, not helpless and defenceless. Not like this. And not by the hand of the one he loved. That was his greatest regret. That, maybe, if he had been strong enough, he could have told Merlin how he felt before he died. But it was too late now.

Merlin looked down at Arthur as he weighed the dagger in his hand, and Arthur looked up at Merlin as he waited to die. But then their eyes met, and the world didn't matter any more. The truth, and the intensity of what they felt burned all around them and the love they felt for each other became everything.

Merlin spun on his heel and, shouting the spell that would vanquish all beings of magic, plunged the dagger into Nim's heart. Or, at least, tried to. The dagger was ripped from his hand, spinning point over hilt until coming to rest deep in the trunk of a tree, mere inches from where Arthur lay.

Merlin sank to his knees, gasping as his magic, so recently reclaimed, was torn from him once more. The strength vanished from his limbs and he couldn't stand, couldn't do anything but crawl laboriously to where his love lay. If they were to die, they would die together.

"You just don't understand, do you?" Nim looked at him with an almost pitying expression. "Still, I suppose you're only human. I cannot be killed, Merlin. I am power incarnate. I could wage war on Camelot, on my own, and destroy it completely, extinguishing the sparks of life trapped inside those pitiful mortals with a single thought. But where would be the fun in that?" She frowned at him. "Only now, you've gone and ruined it. Still, never mind. Arthur Pendragon will still die. But you have denied him a quick, painless death. By the end, he will beg to die, cursing your name as he screams. And you will die with him, for attempting to lay waste to my plans".

Merlin felt a bizarre urge to laugh out loud as he was reminded of when he was a small boy, and his mother was reproaching him for not doing as he was told. Nostalgia was washed away and replaced with torment as Arthur cried out beside him. Merlin could feel his magic ebbing and flowing out of him and into Nim. He could feel what she felt as she twisted and manipulated his power to torture Arthur. Arthur's scream was matched a second later by Merlin's answering scream as Merlin's magic caused a fresh wave of agony to flow through the Prince. Their screams echoed around the forest as Nim stood over them, a sardonic smile on her pale face.

"This is the best bit" she whispered to Merlin, like she was sharing a secret with a trusted friend.

Arthur shook and shuddered, convulsing in fits of agony on the floor as he burned, pain blazing through him. He could feel things ripping, breaking inside him, could feel blood running from his mouth. His screams grew louder as there were a series of sharp cracks and more agony and he felt his ribs crack, one by one. His shrieks of agony were choked off as he spluttered and struggled for breath through the blood filling his lungs, flowing from his mouth, running down his chin. Black spots appeared in his vision and he felt light-headed as his brain was starved of oxygen.

Beside him, Merlin was curled in a ball on the floor, rocking back and forth on his heels, his head cradled in his hands. It was him killing Arthur, as surely as if he had stabbed him, or poisoned him. But slowly, slowly he forced himself to block out the screams, to block out the noise, to think. Nim couldn't be killed by ordinary means, that much was clear. And then he realised her mistake. She had told him, had boasted that she had more power than anyone else on the planet. But, if that was true, then why was she stealing his magic and twisting it to suit her own ends? She has no power of her own, he thought. She is an accomplished thief, but she isn't a creature of magic. She had been lying to him all along, and he felt stupid to think that she might have been telling the truth. With this recognition came the knowledge he needed. He knew how to stop her.

He opened his eyes; let the present return to him. Arthur was barely conscious and his breathing was so faint that Merlin thought he was dead. Nim was gazing hungrily at the Prince, her eyes focused on the face of the dying man as she watched the completion of her dream. Unnoticed, Merlin reached up with one trembling hand and yanked the dagger from the tree trunk. Gathering the last dregs of his strength, he stole one last glance at his love and plunged the dagger deep into his chest.

Nim shrieked in outrage and fear as the golden corona surrounding her dimmed, flickered and then vanished as the source of her power – Merlin - died. Arthur's eyes flew open and he drew in a deep, shuddering breath, like a drowning man that broke through the water to the surface. The agony inflicted on him by Nim had gone. Then Arthur caught sight of Merlin and nothing else mattered. He propped himself up on his good arm, gritting his teeth against the pain of his shattered ribs. Tears welled up in his eyes and streamed freely down his face as he cradled Merlin's body in his arms, ignoring the blood soaking into his clothes from the fatal wound Merlin had inflicted upon himself.

"Merlin, please" he whispered, fighting his tears to speak. "Don't leave me Merlin; don't leave me on my own. I need you here Merlin, with me. Please. I…I love you"

Merlin was cold, so cold. And he was scared. He was all alone, all alone with the darkness, with no-one to help him, to hear his pleas for help, for comfort. And then there was a voice, a familiar voice calling his name over and over. He tried to answer, tried to move, tried to speak but the darkness wouldn't let him. And then he was falling, falling into the abyss, into the maw of Death, and his final words were trapped on his tongue, and lost to the darkness.

_Arthur_

_Arthur, I love you_

**So what did you think?**


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